Twice Shattered
by Kinkaju
Summary: It wasn't the first time part of Seren had been broken, and it wouldn't be the last. But it was the most painful.


Freneskae trembled violently, defenceless against the power that gripped it. Roars of pain and rage could be heard from far away.

Lightning dived endlessly down from the sky, scarring the land without mercy, but also providing a brief source of light. Seren clung to the brief flashes of brightness desperately, stumbling blindly over rocks as she followed the figure ahead of her through the darkness of their world.

The howls in the distance grew louder, and the world quivered more strongly than ever. Seren quivered with it.

Ahead of her, the dark figure of her companion—barely visible among the blackness of the world around them—paused as a bolt of lightning struck the ground directly in front of him. Seren caught up to him a moment later, dropping her gaze to the floor in despair. When would this end?

Her companion began moving again as the lightning cleared from his path. She staggered awkwardly after him, trying to remain by his side rather than fall behind. Together they descended a cliffside and headed on past a pool of lava.

Another roar ripped through the air and the rocky ground shook fiercely beneath Seren, sending her stumbling. She caught herself quickly, trying to ignore the strain building inside both her body and mind.

Her companion glanced over his shoulder at her, and she shook her head in response to the unspoken question in his eyes. "I'm alright, Brother."

He said nothing, but continued on, seemingly unaffected by the lightning and lava flying all around them. Seren drew strength from his calmness. She did not always agree with her brother, but she needed his confident presence by her side in that moment.

He paused to study a thin ledge close by. Seren eyed it with suspicion.

"Zaros, I'm not sure that's safe to cross", she warned.

"We'll go around it", he replied.

Exhaustion rippled through every part of Seren's body as she followed him once more. She had never been so tired in her life.

Zaros nudged her. "Not much further now. We should find somewhere to shelter until the earthquakes stop. There's a cave near here. We'll be more protected there."

"Alright." Seren was too tired to question him. Wearily she allowed him to lead them down a narrow slope and over cracked rocks, until the cave came into sight. Gathering the last of her energy, she dragged her battered body into their shelter and slumped to the floor. Outside, the earthquake raged on.

Zaros dropped to the ground beside her. "We'll probably be here a while", he said.

Seren rolled onto her back. "I've never seen her this distressed before", she murmured.

She didn't entirely understand what was happening. All she knew was that Mah had entered a nightmare several days ago and had yet to awaken from it. All attempts by herself and Zaros to rouse their mother had failed, with increasingly violent earthquakes and the savage creatures produced by Mah's dreams attacking them until they were eventually forced to flee. And so there they were at that moment, huddling together in a dusty cave while the world around them was torn apart.

Zaros glared at the wall closest to him. "This is the last time I am subjected to one of her tantrums. Mah will chain me no longer. I am going to leave this world."

Seren sat up in alarm. "Leave?", she echoed numbly.

"Yes. I have discovered other worlds. I will explore them. I'll find a purpose beyond being the toy of a child."

Seren could not understand. This was all happening so fast. Her mind spun as she tried to process everything. "No... you can't. Please. I need you here. Mah needs you here", she pleaded.

Zaros's gaze switched to her. "Come with me."

A part of Seren was tempted, but a stronger part was repulsed by the suggestion. She could not leave her mother. Mah needed her. How could she abandon her creator, the mother that had given her life?

"I can't leave Mah", she said.

Zaros tilted his head back sharply, and Seren could feel frustration flowing off him in waves.

"She is our tormentor. She holds us prisoner. We should be more than nursemaids to a husk of a god", he growled.

"I will not leave her", Seren said, more firmly.

Zaros held her gaze, and Seren thought for a moment that she saw a hint of regret in his eyes, as if he had never truly intended to part ways with her. Perhaps he had imagined that she would be selfish like him, would abandon her creator for the sake of her own ambition. If so, he had been mistaken. But there was no regret in Zaros's voice when he answered.

"Very well", he said, "I will do this alone."

Repulsion faded from Seren, to be replaced by panic. She did not want to lose Zaros. He was the only companion she had ever had. The only sibling she had ever had. No other could understand her like he could. He had been by her side from the moment of her creation. She didn't know what it was like to _not_ have him in her life. She didn't _want_ to know.

"Please don't...", she whispered.

Zaros looked away. For a long moment there was silence. It dragged on until Seren thought that her brother was about to change his mind, that she had managed to persuade him to stay. Then Zaros turned back to her, and his eyes were carefully blank of emotion.

"I'll miss you", he said.

Seren shook her head, eyes dropping to the ground. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. It must be one of Mah's nightmares.

Zaros leaned forward until they were almost touching. "Once more... one final time?" he asked quietly.

Seren did not reply. Slowly, Zaros wrapped his arms around her waist. She did not push him away, and he seemed to take that as her consent. He guided her back onto her back. Seren looked away as he disrobed. His fingers grasped her face, forcing her to look at him. A question lurked in his gaze. _Do you want this or not?_

She didn't. She hated him. He was betraying her and their mother. He was abandoning them out of selfishness and ingratitude for all they had done for him. She hated him.

But he was all she had. All she had ever had. And as much as she hated him in that moment, she didn't want to let him go. She loved him. She had always loved him. He was a part of her. She had believed their bond would last forever, had never had any reason to doubt that. Now they were on borrowed time together, and so they would have to make it count.

"Yes", she replied, staring up into his face.

He released her face, and she sat up to shed her gown, allowing the crystal covering to no longer guard her.

Zaros's eyes travelled down the length of her body, from her face to her legs and then back again. He said nothing, but she could sense the feelings growing within him. They were connected by birth, by the powers that Mah had given them. Zaros was compelled to love her just as she was compelled to be devoted to him. They could not resist it.

His hands traced her body, feeling and committing to memory every part of her. She caressed his head and shoulders in return, her fingers skimming over the crystal outgrowths that protruded from him. He shivered so subtly that she almost didn't notice it, but not quite.

He moved until his body covered hers, and she looked away as he settled his hips between her thighs. Pain ripped through her moments later as he joined with her, his dark essence mixing with her light one and the sharp outgrowths on his shoulders digging into her neck. He rested his head lightly against hers, their lower faces brushing but with no lips to kiss.

Energy bubbled, boiled, built within her as he moved. She could feel his essence swirling with her own, chasing her around in her own body. Darkness embracing light.

She threw her arms around his shoulders, ignoring the pain of his crystals piercing into her wrists, and wrapped her legs around his. He sighed, whether in pleasure or regret she wasn't sure, grasping her hips with his hands and holding her tightly to him.

Time slipped away from them. Seren didn't know whether they had been there a day or a century. Earthquakes, Mah, Freneskae, all faded away into nothing. It was only the two of them in the world, locked together, bodies entwined, making love for the last time before they lost each other forever.

Eventually Zaros stilled on top of her, and his hands released their crushing grip on her hips. She let herself go limp as well, her arms falling from his shoulders, essence dripping from where his crystals had cut into her.

They remained there for some time, savouring each other's embrace for the final time. Then Zaros pulled away, and Seren could not hold back a cry of pain from the sharp sting that tore through her as he and his essence withdrew. Slowly she rose and enveloped her body within her gown once more.

Zaros was already upright and dressed. He watched her as she finished covering herself and they faced each other in the dust of the cave.

For once, Zaros seemed uncertain, hesitating as though he could not think what to say. Finally he moved slightly towards her, his hand reaching out to touch her.

Seren swatted it away. That was the last thing she needed; Zaros to start spinning his serpent-tongue, to flood her with lies and try to convince her that it was her fault, or Mah's, that he was leaving, and not because he was a selfish monster that only cared about his thirst for power. He was good at that. Twisting the truth. Nothing was ever his fault. Always someone else's.

Well, he wasn't going to do it this time. Wasn't going to take the truth away from her. He would leave her with that, at least. He had taken everything else.

"Don't", she hissed, "Just go."

The truth hurt more than a thousand lies.

* * *

 **AN: I had so much fun writing this. I really enjoy writing Zaros as a character, and I really enjoy Zaros/Seren as a pairing (though I think I prefer Zaros/Char, and I also enjoy Guthix/Seren). In my opinion it is quite heavily implied in canon that Zaros is in love with Seren to some extent (I mention this in more detail in my first RuneScape fic, 'Substitution', which I really hope you will give a read as it is the work I am most proud of) and that it may have been a mutual interest in the past, though I think she lost interest after he abandoned her and she fell in love with Guthix.**

 **I am particularly proud of the way I managed to write a sexual scene between two characters that lack mouths or genitals in canon, and still make it great (in my opinion). Zaros and Seren can't actually have standard intercourse since they lack appropriate anatomy (Zaros for example is clearly shown to lack any form of genitalia in 'Fate of the Gods'), so instead I tried to make it somewhat vague as to what was occurring—making references to the "essence" of the characters to imply that some kind of spiritual intercourse might have been occurring alongside/instead of standard sex. I'm not sure if I entirely managed to pull it off, but I'm quite pleased with the result.**

 **As a further nod to canon, I think this fic might explain how Seren learned about the Ritual of Enervation that she later taught to the Mahjarrat to calm Mah during her earthquake-producing nightmares. When the Ritual was performed (the Mahjarrat mated), the earthquakes stopped. I didn't mention whether or not the earthquakes stopped in this fic after Zaros and Seren mated, but I'll assume that they did. Seren noticed this in hindsight and thought that if it worked for her and Zaros, perhaps it would work for the Mahjarrat too. She was seemingly correct.**

 **Anyway, please read and review, and please read and review 'Substitution' (my first RuneScape fic). I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it.**


End file.
